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Chapter 137
Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse
If Yu Linglong had her way, she would naturally go out on horseback, but Lord Xu, who had never violated her, had a very tough att.i.tude this time, so she had to travel in a carriage.
Yu Linglong was angry and upset.
The ancient rules were really annoying. Why can a man ride on a horse, breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy the beautiful scenery, while a woman can only sit in a carriage, forbidden from showing her face in public?
The feudal society where men were inferior to women really hurt.
Yu Linglong got into the carriage in a bad mood, hid her anger, and headed out of the city.
After sitting in the carriage for more than half a day, Yu Linglong finally realized the benefits of the carriage. She was not affected by the cold. If she was thirsty, she could have tea; if she was hungry, she could eat snacks; if she was cold, she could have a heater. It was very comfortable.
Even Lord Xu would find time to get into the carriage, eat a snack, talk to her for a while before hurriedly mounting up to follow the guards of the emperor in front.
In front of people, he was still the romantic prince who always smiled, and he and Yu Linglong acted like newlyweds, stuck together like glue, so as not to arouse the suspicion of others.
But Yu Linglong knew that his smiling face was just a mask. Behind it, he was planning something or preparing something.
She saw Lord Xu sitting in a carriage several times, and there were small notes sent in by his attendants under various names, with a few lines written on them. After Lord Xu read them, he put them in the stove and burned them.
Sometimes he was thoughtful, sometimes he would have a cold face, and sometimes he would write on a slip of paper in a hurry, ordering someone to pa.s.s it on.
Yu Linglong’s instinct told her that something should happen during this Spring Hunt.
Several times she wanted to ask questions, but she stopped. This kind of ambivalence continued until the sun went down when they finally arrived at the Spring Hunting ground.
The army that arrived earlier had set up their tents. The biggest bright yellow tent in the middle was naturally the emperor’s. The second largest tent next to the emperor’s was for the crown prince and his wife. The remaining tents of equal size were scattered around, surrounding the accounts of the emperor and the prince. Beyond that were the tents of various princes and ministers, and the outermost were the tents where the army was stationed.
Yu Linglong got out of the carriage and looked up, but she couldn’t see the end of the tents. It seemed that the scale of this spring hunt was very large. Many officials brought their families. Together with the army, there were nearly 10,000 people.
It was already the second month of the lunar year, and the weather in the capital was getting warmer. The north side of the capital was still covered with snow, and there was no smell of spring.
Yu Linglong was settled. Her tent door was lifted up, and an aqua-blue figure wrapped in an icy breath with a familiar voice said: “Linglong, you are here too!”
Yu Linglong looked up. Her cold face couldn’t help but feel a touch of warmth: “It’s you.”
Shi Huiru was wrapped in a water-blue racc.o.o.n fur cloak trimmed with white fox fur, and her round face was blushed by the cold wind outside. She was in good spirits. As soon as she came in, she stepped forward and held Yu Linglong’s hand and looked her up and down for a long time before she smiled and said, “You look plump, is the prince treating you well?”
Yu Linglong couldn’t help laughing. She was very direct. Only a girl like Shi Huiru would say this so casually.
How could she be plump after only a few days? Perhaps it was that Shi Huiru wholeheartedly expected her to be happy so she would eat and sleep well, and that was why she was plump.
Yu Linglong was not one of those shy daughters, so she said, “I’m good, why are you here too?”
Shi Huiru smiled triumphantly and said, “My father is also on the guest list. I had to beg him for several days before he promised to bring me here!”
Yu Linglong pursed her pink lips, smiled slightly, and gave her an understanding look.
How could Shi Huiru be so troubled that she begged Master Shi to bring her? There was only one reason…
Shi Huiru smiled shyly, and her clear voice dropped a little: “I heard that he is also here, have you seen him?”
Yu Linglong shook her head: “I just arrived too.”
Shi Huiru’s face showed a disappointed look: “I’ve just been to the tent of Changting Hou’s Mansion. Yunzheng was there, but I didn’t see him…Well, Yunzheng said that he was going to shoot arrows with a few young masters.”
Yu Linglong’s heart moved slightly, and a cloud of suspicion arose in her heart.
Shoot arrows? Wasn’t Yang Huanian good at painting? How could he do archery?
After a little thought, she could not guess the reason. Yang Huanian’s famous reputation would naturally make many people feel jealous. With the opportunity of the Spring Hunt, someone would invite him to compete in various games to make him show some ugliness in public.
It seemed that this Spring Hunt was not as simple as it seemed on the surface. Only people like Shi Huiru would think that the Spring Hunt is just the emperor bringing the princes and ministers out to relax.
At least these things Yu Linglong saw had a lot of unknown undercurrents.
Yu Linglong didn’t say anything, but just followed Shi Huiru’s words and asked, “Yang Yunzheng is here too? Then—”
After thinking about it, Shi Huiru realized who Yu Linglong was asking about, and smiled indifferently: “Well, Princess Xinlin also came. What are you worried about? You are now the majestic Princess Xu, who dares to trouble you?”
Yu Linglong smiled slightly. This kind of thing was not because she didn’t look for trouble, trouble didn’t look for her.
However, Princess Xinlin had fought her many times and hadn’t gotten any advantage. It would be too overwhelming if she wanted to move around.
Yu Linglong didn’t take these people to heart, but she just chatted with Shi Huiru. The two agreed to travel together the next day, and they separated.
When she first arrived at the hunting grounds, there were always many things to be arranged. Mama Liu and others arranged for the ch.o.r.es. Xuan Cao and Ling’er had the things she brought with her. Yu Linglong thought she could have a good rest, but she didn’t get the chance. The family members of various officials came to pay a visit. Some of them she had met before, and most of them she had never heard of. They wanted to see Princess Xu.
Yu Linglong was so troubled that she simply put on her robe and went for a walk.
The tents were stationed in a large open area. To the north was the spring hunting grounds, to the west was a large forest, and to the east were the mountains, all within the scope of the hunting ground.
Yu Linglong walked eastward and met many people who were busy setting up camp along the way. Seeing that she was dressed in luxurious clothes and had an extraordinary att.i.tude, they only dared to salute her from a distance but didn’t dare to come forward easily.
After walking for about fifteen, and finally away from the crowd, Yu Linglong walked to a cliff and stopped unknowingly.
Above her head was the boundless sky, so clear that there were no other colors, only pure blue, which covered the sky, and in the distance were the mountain peaks, covered with white snow, stretching to the sky, going on forever.
There was only monotonous blue, white, and grayish-yellow in front of her, yet they looked so magnificent and atmospheric and made her feel small, as small as an ant, and as tiny as dust.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen such a stunning scenery.
In her previous life, she used to like to walk around a lot. If she wasn’t so busy, she would have spent a lot of time traveling.
She liked all kinds of mountains, peaks, and cliffs. No matter if they were sinister, or steep, or majestic, they always calmed her down without her even knowing it.
Since coming here, her world seemed to be nothing but intrigue. At first sight of such a scene, she only felt that her heart was much purer, and the past was almost like dust and smoke.
Behind her came the sound of footsteps stepping on the snow, and it was so familiar to her ears. In the slight mountain breeze, she sensed a cool fragrance.
Yu Linglong said without looking back, “If you aren’t accompanying the emperor, what are you doing here?”
A sloppy voice rang, with a faint smile: “I went back to the tent and heard that you were out, so I followed you.”
With a feather satin cloak on his shoulders, Lord Xu whispered: “It’s windy here, don’t catch a cold.”
The big hand wrapped around her collarbone and carefully fastened the strap. Yu Linglong could almost feel the temperature in his palm, with the overwhelming warmth, which made her feel warm all over her body.
For a moment, her back seemed to become a little stiff, and she subconsciously wanted to reach out and push him away, but she stopped for some reason.
After straightening the pearl flower on her head and carefully putting on the hood, Lord Xu put down his hands.
The two of them stood together in silence, seeming to be waiting for each other to speak.
After a long time, Lord Xu sighed slightly, and suddenly said: “Tomorrow there may be danger, so you have to be more careful.”
Yu Linglong raised her eyes and looked at Lord Xu’s obsidian eyes, but there was no fear or worry in his eyes.
It seemed that her instincts were not wrong. In the cheery spring hunting atmosphere, there was indeed some conspiracy secretly brewing.
This was not the capital, nor the palace. No matter how many guards and strict precautions there were, it still cannot be foolproof. Was he worried about himself? Was he worried that she couldn’t handle the sudden situation well, or was he worried that she would be in danger?
Looking at the towering peaks in the sky, Lord Xu whispered: “When I’m not by your side, no matter what, don’t leave the banquet.”
This time, Yu Linglong surprisingly didn’t refuse or even asked why, she just nodded faintly and hinted that she would remember.
At this moment, she suddenly realized that she and him were already standing in the center of this long-planned storm. Although there was no wind around them at all, she could still clearly feel the huge storm. It was so powerful as if it could destroy everything. Even if it was as powerful as she was, she couldn’t resist it alone.
…
Early the next morning, Shi Huiru arrived at Yu Linglong’s tent and seemed very excited.
“Have you heard the sound of the horn outside? Today is the first day! The emperor said whoever has the most prey will be rewarded!”
Before dawn, Lord Xu went out. He was not in the tent at the moment. After hearing Shi Huiru’s words, Yu Linglong knew that these princes had gone to the hunting grounds a long time ago. They wanted to chase their prey on the hunting grounds, wanting to prove their outstanding military skills.
Seeing Shi Huiru’s bright eyes, Yu Linglong smiled slightly: “What are you worried about? Prince Yang will not be ashamed.”
Shi Huiru stamped her anxiously, and blurted out nervously, “What do you know? Yesterday when they shot arrows, he was the last one…”
Before she finished speaking, Shi Huiru flushed abruptly, and changed her words clearly, “I’m worried about my brothers. I’m afraid they won’t be able to kill their prey. When they come back, Dad will punish them again!”
Yu Linglong couldn’t help pursing her lips and smiling: “Yes, you should be worried.”
Shi Huiru’s face turned red, and she quickly changed the subject: “They should be coming back soon, and the banquet is about to begin. Let’s go.”
Because she was attending the banquet, Yu Linglong wore a red-and-gold lucky dress and a peac.o.c.k-patterned red satin cloak. She went out after getting dressed.
From a distance, she saw the flags fluttering around the hunting grounds, which seemed extremely lively. Shi Huiru hurriedly pulled her and walked over.
There were many women already seated in the banquet, and a screen made of gauze blocked the outside so that the women could clearly see the situation outside.
Yu Linglong looked up and saw that the emperor had changed into a bright yellow dragon robe, wearing a purple and gold dragon crown on his head, and he looked a lot more majestic. By his side, there were several women in flowery outfits sitting on his left and right hands. They seemed to be the palace concubines, but the figure of the empress was not seen.
Shi Huiru whispered in her ear: “A few of them are Concubine Wu Zhao, Concubine Li Shu, and Concubine Chu Hua. They are all very favored right now. This time, the princes are all here, and the ladies want to see the princes compete with their own eyes.”
Upon hearing Shi Huiru’s words, Yu Linglong’s heart suddenly thought of Lord Xu coming. The mothers of these princes came to watch the compet.i.tions in person, but what about Lord Xu’s mother? No matter how much prey he hunted, he couldn’t show it off in front of his mother.
Yu Linglong lowered her eyes and stopped her thoughts. This was her first time attending a royal banquet. It was best not to make any mistakes. Moreover, she still remembered what Lord Xu said yesterday. She didn’t know what would happen in today’s banquet so she should be a little more careful.
Because of their different ident.i.ties, Shi Huiru could not sit with her. When she arrived at the banquet, a maid came forward and led the two to sit separately.
Just as Yu Linglong took her seat, a female officer in her thirties came up and said, “Princess Xu, the princess invites you to come and sit together.”
Yu Linglong was slightly startled. She raised her eyes and looked up, and saw that there were several large tables next to the emperor and his concubines. The crown princess was sitting in the most conspicuous position and was talking to the people at the next table.
She seemed to be aware of Yu Linglong’s gaze. The princess looked over from a distance, met Yu Linglong’s gaze, and showed a kind smile on her face, beckoning her to come.
Yu Linglong lowered her eyes and said faintly: “I’ll just sit here. Go and tell the princess I don’t want to bother her.”